Lactinex News

TUESDAY, Aug. 9, 2016 – The amount of fat in a pregnant woman's diet may influence the mix of microbes in her baby's gut, a new study suggests. The community of gut microbes – known as the microbiome – can affect the development of a baby's immune system and the ability to extract energy from food, the researchers said. The study included more than 150 women who provided a record of their eating habits during pregnancy. The amount of fat in their diets ranged from 14 percent to 55 percent, with an average of 33 percent. The U.S. Institute of Medicine recommends 20 percent to 35 percent. The gut microbiomes of babies born to mothers who ate a high-fat diet during pregnancy were different from those of babies whose mothers who did not. Specifically, babies whose mothers ate a high-fat diet had fewer Bacteroides microbes in their guts, both at birth and several weeks after. Having fewer ... Read more

THURSDAY, July 21, 2016 – Some human gut bacteria may have existed for millions of years – since before the evolution of people, scientists report. Their findings suggest evolution has had a greater impact on human gut bacteria than previously known, said study co-leader Howard Ochman, a professor of integrative biology at the University of Texas at Austin. "It's surprising that our gut microbes, which we could get from many sources in the environment, have actually been co-evolving inside us for such a long time," Ochman said in a university news release. The researchers analyzed the genes of three groups of gut bacteria. These bacteria play a role in intestinal development, train the immune system to fight dangerous germs, and may also affect mood and behavior, the study authors said. The three groups of gut bacteria reportedly account for more than 20 percent of the gut microbiome. ... Read more

FRIDAY, July 15, 2016 – Chronic fatigue syndrome – a condition that continues to baffle doctors – may be influenced by a person's intestinal bacteria – sometimes called gut microbiome, new research finds. "Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome have a different profile of bacterial species in their gut microbiome than healthy individuals," said the study's senior author, Maureen Hanson. She's a professor of molecular biology and genetics at Cornell University, in Ithaca, N.Y. In the small study, she and her colleagues found that people with chronic fatigue syndrome had less diversity or different types of bacteria, compared to healthy people without chronic fatigue syndrome. People with chronic fatigue syndrome also had more species of bacteria that promote inflammation and fewer bacteria that dampen inflammation, the researchers found. The new findings provide evidence to refute ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, June 22, 2016 – Americans spend a good chunk of their health care dollars on alternative medicine, such as acupuncture, yoga, chiropractic care and natural supplements, a new government report shows. In fact, they paid more than $30 billion out of pocket in 2012 on chiropractors and other complementary health practitioners, as well as supplements and other forms of alternative medicine. "Substantial numbers of Americans spent billions of dollars out-of-pocket on these approaches – an indication that users believe enough in the value of these approaches to pay for them," said study co-author Richard Nahin. He is lead epidemiologist at the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Expenditures in 2012 included: $14.7 billion out-of-pocket on visits to complementary practitioners such as chiropractors, yoga instructors, acupuncturists or massage ... Read more